i  x  love  x  you
by yuuki-kohane
Summary: Yuuki's life gets more confusing when she gets kicked out of her own home, learns about her past, meets new people, and starts to fall for that one boy.
1. Chapter 1  Life  past, now and future

heey people ! This is my first fanfic , so .. it probably miiight suck . x)

but it still be nice if you guys can still comment and review for me , i really want to know how bad/good i've done on this. ^^;

so basically, this story is about what my perspective of the story is , if i put my own OC in it .

and sorry if i made any of the OC from the anime too OOC . ^^;

hope you guys like it . (:

ENJOY ! :D ( P.S. - yes i know that " yuuki " doesnt mean snow, but for now , let's just say that it does , okaay ? I would be a pain to change all " yuuki's " to yuki's "  
I hope everyone's okay with that ! Anything else, please let me know . (: - bows - **_ Arigato Gozaimasuu ~~! . _**)

**P.P.S.** - I'm actually re-writing the whole story ! The story is still going to be the same but i'm going to change a few things around ! I hope everyone will like it . :)  
and in advance , i apologize for any inconveniences . ^^;

* * *

**Chapter 1 - Introduction**

I woke up to the sound of the engine roaring, and I could feel that we are taking off. This is my new life now. My new adventure you can call it. I got out of bed and got ready. I'm Yuuki Kohane, and here s the story of me so far :

I was born in Kyoto, Japan. Both my parents ( Yoshiro and Ayako Kohane) were born in Osaka. My Oka-san gave me her last name instead of my Oto-sans. Something about " the royal family name " . I used to live with my Oto-san and grew up with him. Where's my Oka-san you ask?

My Oka-san left us when I was little. She told me that I had great gifts, soon to be discovered, so she said that she would leave us until one day, I will find her. My Oka-san is a magician you see, so she can disappear when she wants too. My goal is to find my Oka-san one day.  
As I was growing up, my Oto-san remarried to another woman named Neikan Ito. I hate her. She's always mean to me, and she hates me. She never really liked children. ( the Neikan means wicked and treacherous, which REALLY fits her ). When my Oto-san goes to work she makes me do all the chores while she talks on the phone with her tomodachi ( _I'm guessing_ ). One time I overheard her talking how she loves this life, and her being married to my Oto-san was the greatest thing ever, ( _cause she gets everything she wants from my Oto-san _). I asked my Oto-san one time.

" Why do you like this woman, Oto-san? " His reply was really shocking  
" Because, even though she's mean, she has a great heart. She's mean like this because she has an anger management problem, so when kids like you who don t know what to do, she just likes to take it off on that person. Give her a try... for me please? "

How can I say no to my Oto-san? I love my Oto-san like crazy.

" Haaaii, Oto-san. For you..." " I knew I can count on you, kiddo "

And he gave me a tight hug. One day, I forgot to clean this one room, and Neikan started yelling at me and started hitting me. My Oto-san came home in time to see my all bruised up and bleeding. He took Neikan to the kitchen to talk with her, while I was cleaning myself up. When I came out of the washroom, I saw both of them in the living room, waiting for me. I went in and took a seat on the couch across from them. As I was getting nervous on what they were gonna say,  
my Oto-san finally spoke up.

" I think it's time for you to go out into the world. " I was confused on what he said until Neikan spoke.

" I don't want you here. If you stay here any longer you are sure to ruin my perfect life. "

That BITCH ! I knew something like this was gonna happen, but not like THIS. My Oto-san continued

" So I called your Oji-san from your Oka-san's side to pick you up and you can start a new adventure with him ! I hear he is the chairman of some sort ! "

Greeat, I m gonna meet that bitch's Oto-san. . . . Just what I always wanted.  
My father looked at me and he knew that I was not thrilled by this. He then knew that I thought that it was from Neikan's side, with that he said.

" From Ayako's side. . . . "

I couldn't believe my ears ! Now I am happy to meet my Oji-san ! What does he look like? How old is he? Chairman of what? As long as I m getting out of here, I don't care !

" You'll leave tonight, Neikan said that the sooner, the better, He'll pick you up right here at our house. So go get ready . . . . "

My Oto-san said as he drifted those last words off. I jumped up and I couldn t help but to peek at those two. Neikan was hiding her smile,  
clearly meant that she was happy with all of this. But my Oto-san looked REALLY hurt. Like someone shot him right in the heart. I couldn't bear to see my Oto-san like this, so I headed for my room. As I was packing, I heard a car parking on our drive way. Had to be my Oji-san. So I finished packing all my stuff, and headed downstairs. As I was coming down the stairs I saw my Oto-san, with Neikan, and a fairly old man, looked to be around his 80's or something ( _This guy is gonna take care of me?_ ),  
a woman with pink hair tied up in a weird way, and a man with no mouth ( _SCARY !_ ) with one of those curly moustaches. When I got down the stairs, my Oto-san introduced me to them. The old guy is my Oji-san ( _figured_ ).  
His name is Netero.  
The woman and man are his assistants, Menchi and Satotsu. I said my farewell to Neikan ( with a scowl and whispered bitch under my breath ) and as I got to my Oto-san, tears weld up in my eyes. I gave him a BIIG hug, and he squeezed me soo tight, that I could hardly breathe. He whispered in my ear

" I never wanted you to go. But this is for the better. I m soo sorry, Yuuki. You will always be my loving daughter and a warrior/magician in training. " I looked at him all confused, when Netero spoke up.

" Alright, if we stay any longer we wont be able to leave ! And plus, I m in a rush ! So lets mooove ! " I was going down the front door steps when my Oto-san shouted

" Be safe, Yuuki ! I love you with all my heart ! Remember ! Daisuki ! _( its mine and my fathers thing to say when we are down. Just cheers us up right away )_.  
" I love you too, Oto-san ! Daisukiiii ! " and I got in the car and we drove off. Tears were now streaming down my cheeks as we were leaving my house. That woman named Menchi, I think, gave me a tissue.

" Its alright, Yuuki. Everything will be fine. I'll be by your side the whole time when we get aboard the plane ! "

" The . . plane . . ? "

I was more confused then ever. The guy named Satosu spoke up ( _how did he talk without a mouth ?_ )  
" Yes, we are going to go aboard the plane for Netero's work. "

" What IS Oji-san's work anyways? " I asked trying to get some answers answered.

" Ho, ho, ho. Please call me Netero, Yuuki. And why don t I let Menchi and Satotsu tell you what I do for a living? "

So while driving our way to the airport, Menchi and Satotsu filled me in on the things I needed to know. Apparently since my Oka-san is a magician, and my Oba-san was a warrior. I inherited both their genes, which makes me a Warrior/Magician in training. My Oji-san is the chairman of the Hunter Exams. What is the Hunter Exams you ask? Well, its an exam (_ no duh_ ), that let's you compete in different stages to see if your worthy to become a Hunter. I asked what's so great becoming a hunter? They told me that if you become a hunter, you would make money FAST. And I'm talking about millions per month. People respect hunters, because I hear that the exams are the most hardest thing ever in life.  
As we were pulling up into a field, I asked,

" Why are we here? Aren't we supposed to be at the airport? " They laughed at me, and I was getting confused again.

"Ho, ho, ho. Yuuki, you really are Ayako's daughter. She always asked questions like that, and to answer your question. This IS our airport. "

Still completely confused, a sudden strong wind whipped through us. Its like a tornado is right in front of us. Then I hear propellers above us and I see a big blimp. I never rode a blimp before, so I m kinda excited. As we got on board, I couldn't help but notice something in the shadows. I just saw a glimpse of it, so I thought it would just be my imagination. Netero said that it would be awhile and that I should get a good nights sleep.  
So here I am. In the washroom almost done getting ready. I headed out and I wanted to explore the blimp sooo badly ! But I knew that I should check in with Netero first and see if he needs any help ( him being old and stuff ). So I headed down the hall, and making my way to the kitchen, when the smelled hit me. I smelled bacons, eggs, natto, nori's, and green tea. My stomach growled at me, so I dashed to the kitchen. To my amazement, I see Netero, cooking the bacon with his right hand, cooking eggs with his other hand, and moving around to cook the natto and the nori's.

( _maybe I was wrong on judging his age. . . _)

" Oh ! Ohayou, Yuuki ! "

" Ohayou, Oji-san. "

" Now what did I say about calling me a Oji-san? Just call me Netero is fine. You make me sound old when you say Oji-san. Ho, ho, ho. "

" Umm. . . Alright. . Netero. . . Do you need any help with the breakfast?"

" No, its alright. You should go and find Menchi to help you get started on your training. " Is getting confused my specialty now?  
" Your training on becoming the greatest Warrior/Magician ever. "

" Umm. . okaay . . . thanks Netero. "

I was walking down the hallways and I caught a glimpse of another shadow by my right side. I spun around and caught nothing in my sight, just the long hallway in front of me. I turned around and kept walking. I reached Menchi's door and as I was about to knock on the door she already opened it for me.  
" Yuuki ! Come in ! Come in ! Are you ready to train? "

" Why do I have to train anyways? " I'm still confused as ever.

" Netero hasn't told you? Oh my. . . "

" Tell me what ? "

" Yuuki . . . .The people who are trying to apply for the hunter exams are sometimes bad people. They want the hunter's license for bad stuff. Like they would get their license and sell it cause a hunter's license is worth more than billions of dollars. People might even sneak into our company to try to even steal the license. "

My stomach started clenching. . . . Sneak in? Was what I saw about those shadows real then?

" Um . . Menchi? "

" Yes, Yuuki? "

" Umm. . when you are talking about sneaking in. . I think I saw a shadow ...or person ... or whatever before when I was walking down the hall, and last night as we were boarding the blimp. It was just a glimpse, so I thought it would be my imagination. But once you said this, I'm having second doubts . . . "

Menchi didn't say a word for about a minute I guess. Until she finally asked  
" Are you sure? "  
" I'm positive "

Everything happened so fast. She called Netero and she was grabbing me to go outside all at the same time. We were in the living room ( think it is ). And there were some more people I never seen before. Netero was pacing back and forth in the middle of the room, while I was sitting down.

" Call the security guards. Tell them to be on full alert. And Menchi, make sure your next to Yuuki, all the time. I don't want her missing. " said an agitated Netero

" Why do I need someone with me? I m 13. I can take care of myself. . . . "

Netero stopped pacing and sat down next to me.

" Yuuki, there's a lot of things you still don t know. I'll tell you this one. Your the missing princess everybody is looking for. Yuuki-hime. . . .Your the princess that has inherited the greatest powers of all from your grandmother. Sakura-hime. Its around this age that you will start to develop more powers. Powers that are too imaginable to be true. "  
I m just shocked right now. I don t know what to say. Missing Princess? When was I missing? And . . . what powers? Maybe I should get some Advil s later to settle my confusion/headache. . . . My thoughts were drowned out by Netero's talking.

" Alright, everybody. Go back to what you were doing before. "

So Menchi and I were walking down the hall back to her room. No one was talking. So it was an awkward silenced. Until I finally I broke it.

" Menchi. . .? Can you please tell me about the whole hime thing? " She looked at me and said.

" Sure. Umm. . Well your Oba-san, Sakura-sama,was the princess of powers. She has every power you can imagine. One day, she was going into battle, and your Oka-san was crying to see her depart. But your Oba-san promised her that she will be back. That promise you see. . didn t go as plan. Someone shot her from the back when she wasn't looking and she was slowly dieing. Your Oka-san heard the news and she ran all the way to be by your Oba-san's side. Your Oka-san made it, and your Oba-san whispered to your mother

" Ayako . . . There will be a new princess of powers and she WILL be your daughter. "

" But Oka-san " tears were rolling down her cheeks

" How do you know if I would have a daughter or not? Or if she is gonna be a princess of powers. " Sakura-sama smiled at her weakly.  
" I know, BECAUSE I'm gonna look after you and I'm more then a hundred percent sure that she will be just like me. "

" ... and after that she passed away. You look exactly like her you know, and I bet that you will be the greatest priestess ever "

" Priestess. . ? "

" It's another way to say the princess of powers. "

" Oh. . . "

We got to Menchi's door, but, when I was about to open it, Menchi opened it with a swift of her hands and the door swung open.

" How did you. . . ?

" You have a lot to learn, Yuuki , , , Let's get started. "

So for more than 4 hours, Menchi was training me and filling me in on what I need to learn for the basics. So far, I know if someone is near me by their presence. I can fight back by punching and kicking and flipping people.

( _I never knew how to do all those stuff before, God I'm lame. . . _). I have some of my questions answered from before. Apparently, my Oba-san's words were right, I was born to be the next

priestess to fight for this world. My Oka-san was shocked to see that I was growing up to look like my grandmother everyday.  
So when I was eight, my mother dyed my hair to black now. My hair was supposed to be light brown, and she gave me brown coloured contacts to wear. I had sky blue eyes when I was little. I never understood why when I was little, I thought she just wanted me to be pretty, but now I know why. It's to hide me identity, because whoever can find me. They are gonna be filthy rich, and use me for evil. So now every single day I've been working on increasing my powers so far, and if I discover a new power, I must tell Netero or Menchi,  
so that they can keep a record on what I have so far.

I remember that one time when I was walking down the halls, I see Netero talking to someone who was strapped by two huuge men. I only heard some of what he said. Something like

" How did you know Yuuki was here? " and something like " I overheard ... talk .. you people ... " the rest was just mumble jumble ...

After that, I never saw someone like that again. I recon that that guy was that shadowy person or whatever I saw every time. Also on that day, I learned to dodge, even the fastest things ever. As long as I pay close attention to them.

So now the day has come ...

The Hunter's Exam.


	2. Chapter 2  The Hunter's Exam Begins !

**Chapter 2 - The Hunter's Exam Begins !**

We landed somewhere that I never seen or heard before and we headed into this building. I grabbed a notebook and a pencil to write down their numbers of the given applicants and I headed down to the basement. My job is to watch all the applicants and to maintain them. Satotsu came down and gave me some roller skates and told me to be the very last person in the group to leave and follow them by the cliff road above us. So I strapped them on and waited.

_**- Thirty minutes later -**_

People kept pouring and pouring in. I think there's up too a hundred fifty people by now. There IS one applicant I can't take my eyes off. Number ninety-nine. He's seems like my age, and he's REAALLY cute. He has silver hair, and royal blue eyes. For some reason I'm a sucker for any blue eyes. . . He's also was holding a green skateboard between his right arm .  
Since I have a pencil and a notebook, I decided to draw that cute boy. I was almost done drawing when this big muscular guy beside me looked down.

" Hey, cutie. What'cha drawing? Is it you and me together? "

I was puking from the sound of that guy's voice and he is UGLY. He then started to reach for me, but I kicked flipped him, and he flew back a bit. He just laid there.

" He's alright " I went back to my spot and looked back at my drawing.

" He's unconscious. He'll wake up soon, on his will. "

Oh man. . . I wasn't supposed to hurt any of the applicants. . . Netero or Satotsu is gonna give me a lecture. But Menchi told me to use it for my defence, so maybe I won't . . . . I realized that the cute boy was looking at me now, and I was just staring at him. I didn't want to look away. But I did, so that it won't be too obvious that I like him. I'm looking down at my notebook and finishing up my drawing, when I noticed that he is still looking at me. I started blushing until I heard a ruckus.

" One of the applicants is dead ! " I heard.

Apparently this magician/clown guy killed him by throwing some cards into his face. What should I do? Go up to that guy and tell him to stop? I don't need some powers to tell me that this guy is dangerous beyond compare. He has murderer and lust for blood written all over his eyes and face. I'm scared. I just don't know what to do. Menchi was right. People here are very dangerous and evil ... Just then Satotsu came down the ceiling light.

" Well, now. Let's not have anymore of those and let's start the Hunter's Exam shall we? Everyone follow me. "

I guess that's my cue. I shoved my notebook and pencil in my pocket and waited till everyone was moving. I saw that the cute guy was already moving along with the group. I sighed and got ready to leave. I was slowly rolling by making sure no one is paying any attention to me.

Satotsu is now increasing the walking pace. Every 10 minutes he increases it. By now everyone is running. That's my cue, again. I jumped up on the cliff and now I'm rolling and watching people below, too see if any are gonna quit. 2 hours have passed and I'm surprised that no one has quit yet. These people are something. . .

( _Ohmygod._ ) I thought

(_I see that cute boy. Waiit. . he's on a skateboard. Is that against the rules? Well ... since Satotsu hasn't stopped him, so.. I guess it isn't? )_

I kept rolling and ducking the rocks above me. I'm kinda getting tired now, and I can see that some other people are slowing down a bit too. While I was rolling, I also saw another boy in green who seems like my age too. But the first boy I saw is the cutest. I noticed this guy with a laptop, who was sweating like a pig, starting to fall back. He was gasping for air. I'm guessing he's quitting. I want to help all these people. But Satotsu and Menchi said just to leave it 'cause they are not worth becoming a hunter. So I just passed him. I was shocked to see this other guy, help the guy with the laptop, and the second boy's friend ,( _wearing a blue suit and is carrying a suitcase. Pretty formal for a hunter applicant if you ask me_ ), who was also gasping for air. So that other guy picked both the laptop guy and the suit guy up, turned around, and headed the other direction. I turned around and saw below me the cute guy. So the cute guy and the other kid are friends now? Hmm. . never knew. Another thing I never knew was that that boy and his other other friend, ( _looks like a girl, but can instantly tell its a guy. Seems like he is a tribal of something, from the look of his clothing_ ), all turned around too and followed the rest. Only the cute boy, said something which I couldn't hear, and kept going forward. I was very curious on where they are gonna go, but I knew that I can't doddle. So I just kept going forward too.

_**- Three hours later -**_

I lost the sight of the cute boy. I guess I am depressed, but I have to, have to, keep on forward. After another hour, I caught up with the group.  
I'm right behind Satotsu now, and I know that, ( without looking back ), he knows I'm right behind him too. Not even 3 minutes later, there was a _**BOOM !**_ And the ground was shaking. I lost my balance, but I caught a rock that was bulging out, and I hoisted myself up on the cliff again.  
I soon to realize that that BOOM ! was the wall, collapsing, and out came the cute boy ( _yaaay !_ ), the other boy, the suit man, and the tribal man.

(_ I wonder what happened down there. . . and what happened to the other two people? Oh well, guess they aren't qualified. . . . )_

We are almost to the end now. The last part of the test is to climb this huuge flights of stairs. It's like half the size of Mt. Fuji ! So I kept rolling, while everyone else is still running for their lives. I spotted that cute boy running along side with the other boy.

( _Hmm. . he isn t riding his skateboard. _)

I'm surprised that no one gave up still. All these applicants are very tough. . . . I took one final roll and at last , we are out of the cave .

( _Yaaay ! We finally made the exit ! Woow, the view here is amazing! Everywhere you see is green and filled with trees._ )

By now almost everyone was out of the door. I saw everyone's expression's, some where sad, some were happy, some were shocked, and most of them are dead, cause they needed air. I realize that I had to hide so that no one can see me. Netero told me to be out of sight from everyone's. I didn't quite understood why he wants me to hide from everyone, but this world is still confusing. As I was trying to find some place to hide, I see the cute boy turned his head and is staring eye to eye with me.

( _I wonder why he keeps looking at me. I AM glad that he looks at me, but I wonder why he would take the time to look at someone like me. . . . . _)

I broke free from that mesmerizing gaze and found a big pile of rocks, so I made sure that the cute boy wasn t looking at me, nor was anyone else. I'm hiding behind this pile of rocks when the door, from where we came out of, was closing. Some people were almost to the door, but their faces disappeared as the door shuts them from their chances of being a hunter. I felt so sorry for them. They ran more than hours and hours and now the door shuts on them.

( _What a shame. . . . _) By now, there's still a lot of people out here with me.

" This is Numele Swamp. Also known as Swindler's Roost. To get to the second exam, we must pass through here. " says Satotsu.

" There are rare animals here that like to trick people to eat them. So please follow me carefully. If you get tricked you will die. "

I saw that the suit guy was going to speak up

( _Waiit. . why is he half naked? Um. . this is embarrassing to look. . ._ )

" That's funny. If we know that we are gonna be tricked beforehand how can we get tricked? " said that suit man.

( _I really need to know the names of these people._ )

All of a sudden, a guy came around the corner, holding what seems to be a monkey-faced human, wrapped up in a sheet.

" Don't listen to him ! He's a fake ! I'm the real examiner ! " says the guy who's holding a monkey.

(_ Whaat? Satotsu is a fake. . ? Impossible. We never been here before. So how can Satotsu be fake? And if he was a fake, Netero would have tamed him into a real, good examiner. HE'S the fake one. That fake mouth._ )

" Hey old man. " The suit guys is speaking up again . . .

" You better have proof that he is a fake. "

" You want your proof? HERE'S THE PROOF ! " He then throws the monkey on the floor, the sheets come apart , and all you see is a dead, beaten up monkey in front of everyone.

" This is called the human-faced monkey. It takes on the form of a human, then lure them into a trap so that they can EAT you ! "

( _I was right about the human-faced monkey part. But I'm not to frilled where all of this is going._ ) Everyone is thinking the same thing.

" Your right ! The way he ran in the marathon. No one can run like that for hours ! "

( _No one can? What about that boy, the cute boy, and everyone else ! There's YOUR other evidence. _)

I was literally going to speak up when Netero's words came in my mind again .

- _yuuki ! Don't ! You have to hide from everyone for now. -_

_( __doushite, Netero-san ?_ )

_- __onegai ... for now .. -_

___( __haii .. Netero-san ... _)

___So I sunk back down , and all i could do was watch everyone yelling at each other. These people are stupid. But if I didn't know Satotsu, then I would have thought of the exact same thing. Everyone is ganging up on Satotsu now._

___( __What should I do? Where's Netero when you need him the most. . . _)

___Then that boy spoke up._

___" I wonder if this is part of the Hunter's Exam. . ."_

___( __Is this part of the exam?_ )

___The suit guy and the boy were whispering right now. Wish I could hear what their saying and I wish that somehow I can help Satotsu. I looked at Satotsu and he gave me a fast shake of the head._

___( __Is he saying for me not to worry? I hope so. ._ )

___The tribal man spoke up this time._

___" I know a way we can determine who is the real hunter. A real hunter would have a hunter's license. "_

___( __What a brilliant idea ! Satotsu will show everyone his license and everything will be back to normal._ )

___That didn t go as I hoped it would go ..._

___" He has my license. He attacked me from behind and took everything. " Said the fake._

___Now everyone is confused. Don't know whose side they should take. Until that magician/clown guy threw some cards at Satotsu and towards the fake. The cards went right into that fakes face and it's sticking out from his face._

___( __SHIT ! Those are very sharp cards !_ )

___It's so disgusting. I m VERY terrified to turn my head to see Satotsu. But everyone was shocked in amazement towards Satotsu's side, that I finally turned around._

___( __Hurray ! Satotsu caught those cards ! Hmm. . Maybe being a hunter has its advantages. . ._ )

___The suit guy asked the magician/clown guy why he'd threw the cards. And his reply was simple._

___" This way. . we would know whose real and fake faster. A real hunter would catch those easily. That solves it. Your the real one . . Mr. Examiner. "_

___I'm very happy that Satotsu is alive. And what that magician/clown guy said seems like a compliment._

___" I'll take that as a compliment thank you. But anymore violence against the examiner, will resolve to you failing instantly. Understood? "_

___Wow never knew Satotsu and I would say the same thing._

___" Hai hai. "_

___So now everyone is talking how come they couldn't notice the difference? I see that the cute boy is now talking to that boy. That boy is looking at the monkey for awhile. Satosu spoke up._

___" Now now. No need to give grieve to these animals. Animals die when they fail on trying to catch their prey. It's the way things go. Eat or be eatened. That's the rule for Numele Swamp. "_

___( __Ohmyfuckinggod. THEIRS THESE VOLTURES SWARMING AROUND THE DEAD MONKEY._ )

___I really don't like seeing animals being eatened up. Dead or alive. So I turned my full attention to Satotsu now. We've begun walking into Numele Swamp. The dirt takes away stamina while running. So it's another marathon you can call it. But this one is really life or death. Like Satotsu said, get tricked and you die. Before this part of the exam. Netero and Satotsu gave me a clear direction to go. There's this little road that is not near any traps or animals. But close enough to watch the applicants. So I'm rolling down this road, and I see that the place is getting foggier. That's bad for the examiner's. If they can't see, they can steer their way into a trap or animal. By now, the fog had increased tremendously. I can't even see the cute guy now. But Netero told me to keep rolling straight. So that's what I did. All of a sudden , I heard a lot of screams behind me.  
A lot of people are getting tricked and are dieing. I feel so sorry for them now, but I can't do anything. This is just fate. ( And yes I do believe in fate and what not. ). It's getting lonely rolling by myself. I wonder how far ahead do I need to go. After 10 minutes of singing ( singing helps me daydream and forget about things around me ), I see an opening up ahead. I rolled as fast as I could. The first thing I see when I come out is a warehouse thingy. I want to see if I'm at the right place when I see Satotsu coming out of the trees._

___" Yuuki, the examinees are gonna be here soon. So go inside with Menchi or go behind the barrels. "_

___So I did what he said. I want to see that cute boy again, so I hid behind the barrels. Not long later that some people came out of the trees where Satotsu came out. One by one people kept filing in._

___( __Yaaay ! That cute boy made it ! I knew he was gonna make it ! But wait. . where's that other boy, the suit guy and the tribal guy? Well I found the suit guy, passed out on that magician/clown's shoulder. Ohmygod. . IS HE DEAD? _)

___The magician/clown guy puts him down under a tree and walks off to the other side of where the people are gathering. I see that he is talking to this guy. . WITH NAILS STICKING OUT OF HIS HEAD ? WHAAAT? ISNT THAT PAAINFUULL? Ohgod. It just reminds me of the world records, a guy had his whole face pierced. So disgusting. . It's now 11:55 a.m. and still no sign of the tribal guy or that boy. Wonder if anything happened to them . . No. No thinking of negative thoughts. Speak of the devil. The boy and the tribal guy came out of the woods. Just in time that Satotsu fires his gun in the air._

___" Time's up ! Good work everyone. This here Bisuka Forest is the second exam centre."_

___Everyone is talking now how they are happy that they passed. I caught a glance and saw that the suit guy has a very huge swollened cheek._

___( __That's gonna take some time to heal . . ._ )

___The boy and that tribal guy walked up to him and started chatting with him. They all quieted down as Satotsu began speaking._

___" Let's get back to the exam. I congratulate you all. The people who have made it here, have all passed the first exam. I wish you all good luck on the second exam. "_

___And with that, he leaves into the forest. I follow him by making a circle in the forest. He tells me that there 148 people left. It's a higher number than what they expected. The second exam is with Menchi and Buhara. He says that maybe 50, or depending on the topic, maybe even 10 will pass. I wanted to ask who Buhara is, but I figured that that would be un-polite of me and I'll see for myself, who he is._

___" Why don't we stick around and watch, Yuuki? "_

___Staying back and seeing how that cute boy goes? No need to ask me twice ! So we turned around and headed back quietly. It's exactly 12, when the doors opened, this huuge, loong rumbling goes on. Is it a stomach? No. . It can't be. . No one can have a big rumble as that ..._

___I was wrong._


	3. Chapter 3  Second Exam Part 1

**Chapter 3 - Second Exam. Part 1.**

It's now exactly 12' o clock, and the doors to the building opens. All you see is Menchi, sitting on the couch acting all cool and stuff, and this very big guy behind her. Probably Buhara. Everyone is in total silence until Menchi spoke up.

" Thanks for waiting, everyone ! Hey Buhara, are you getting hungry yet? " Well I was right that, that guy is indeed Buhara, and that the low rumbling noise is coming from him.

" The noise says it all Menchi. I'm really hungry ! "  
" Well now. We are Epicure Hunter's and we will be in charger of the second exam. " Menchi seems like she's done this for years.

The suit guy and that little boy spoke up.

" Epicure Hunter's ? What's that? "

I was also curious what Epicure Hunter's were. Fighting Hunters? Survival Hunters?

Instead of Menchi or Buhara explaining , the tribal guy explained instead .

" Epicure Hunter's are Hunters that scours the world for all sorts of ingredients. They also try to create interesting new flavours. Of course, these Hunters are first class chefs too. "

_( wow . )_

" So the topic for the second exam is. . . " Said this bald guy.

' Yes " Menchi continued. " The second exam is going to be . . . . cooking.

" COOKING ? " Everyone exclaimed.

I'm in shock too. Practically all the hunters are guys, so Satotsu was right. Not much people will pass.

" Jeez, why do we have to do cooking? And we came all the way down here too. " Said an examinee.

" Hey you ! If you have a problem, then go home ! If anyone else who has a problem with this . . . you can go home now ! "

" ... "

" Hmmmm. Looks like no one has a problem. "

The bald guy spoke up.

" So . . What kind of dishes do we make? "

" First, you have to make the dishes that I specify" Said a happy Buhara. Menchi finishes off his sentence.

" Anyone who passes that test, you will make the dish that I specify. That means if both of us says it's good, you pass the second exam. "

Everyone is starting to complain now. Like they are saying how tastes vary from people to people, how's that's unfair and stuff.

" Hai, hai, hai, hai. calm down. Like I said, anyone who has a problem may leave anytime they want. Bye Bye. "

It was now the suit guy to speak up.

" Bullshit ! We can't go home after coming all the way here ! "

Some guy is now blaming that guy who shouted out all the unfairness and stuff. The bald guy suggested that all the people who are annoying should go home. Only that cute boy and that other boy are still, the other boy spoke up.

" Umm. . excuse me. But can you continue with your explanation? "

By the looks of her face, Menchi was surprised " Like I was saying, if you can make us both say it's good, then you pass. The exam ends when both of us are full. "

" Dammit, I never cooked in my life. " said an agitated suit guy.

The other boy kept on saying how the only dish he can make is egg over rice. The tribal guy and the suit guy said that they wanted to try it one day, Maan, who'd knew I can hear whispered conversations?

" Yuuki, the second part of the exam's are gonna start. This is going to be funny for some people. So sit back and watch. "

I did as Satotsu told me too. I sat back in the trees and relaxed.

" Okay now " Buhara boomed. " My menu is going to be . . . Barbequed Pig. . My most favourite. Cooked from the worlds most violent pig that lives in this forest. The GREAT STAMP ! "

" The Great Stamp ... ? " said by all the confused examinees.

" Satotsu . . What is the Great Stamp? "

" The Great Stamp is the worlds most violent pig. But, that pig has a weak spot. Since your Ayako's daughter, see if you can find that weak spot. "

" Hai Hai, Satotsu-san. "

And so I waited for the exam to start. You didn't even have to wait long when all of a sudden, the ground was shaking, and I could hear something charging to us. I looked ahead and saw huuge, black pigs charging right at the examinees. Some of the examinees got away, half of them were flown away by those huge pigs. I'm guessing that the second part of the exam is starting.

" With it's large, powerful nose it can easily crush the enemy. If you run too slowly, you will become the pigs feast."

I looked beside me and saw that Satotsu was giving me some pointers. I concentrated for awhile and then it hit me.

" Nee, Satotsu? "

" Haii? "

" If the pigs hit you with their nose, can't you try and hit them around the face to block the attack? "

" Well we will just have to wait and see. right? "

" Haaiiii ! "

I saw that the other boy in green tried to make an attempt. He jumped up really high and did a back flip, which made him land on the pigs back.

(_ pretty smart I have to say )_

The pig is getting angry now so it's trying to fling the boy off of it's back.  
To my surprise, that boy is actually holding on. He took out his fishing rod, jumped in the air, and whacked the pig on it's forehead. He came down gracefully and the pig behind him fell onto it's side. The pig isn t moving at all.

" Nee Satosu. Is the pig dead? "

" Iee, Yuuki. Like I told you before. That's the pigs weak spot. "

" Ohhhh ! So I was right ! Somewhere around it's face ! "

" I guess your right. Good for you, Yuuki. "

And with that he gave me a pat on the back. I feel proud of myself that I got it right. But then I remembered about the other examinees. I wanted to know if they figured it out too yet. The suit guy is running for his life, until that boy told him to hit the head of the pig.

_( so much for the examinees figuring it out by themselves )_

Well funny thing is that he tripped over some vines that were on the floor. Head first too, and the pig almost ran over him but he was safe. Unfortunately the pig made a U-turn and started heading toward the guy again. This time he didn t do anything, he was just staying there. I kept thinking to myself.

(_ what is he thinking? Does he want to die? )_

Too my surprise, just when the pig was right in front of his face he turned around and pulled the vine that tripped him, so that he can trip the pig with it. The pig did, indeed, trip and he grabbed he's suitcase and whacked it at the pig's forehead. Which made the pig tumble over on its side. I looked over and saw that the bald guy tried to make the pig go his way. Then when it got close, he jumped high in the air, and the pig bonked it's head in the air. Turns out that it wasn't air, it was camouflaged. Behind that was a huge boulder.

(_ hmmm. . . I think he's a ninja of some sort .. )_

So that pig also fainted. I spotted the cute boy ! The pig is coming straight at him ! But I want to see what his strategy is ... He's not even moving, and the pig is right in his face and he is still not moving. Everything went by so fast. The pig is behind him now and he is still acting all cool and stuff. All of a sudden the pig tumbled over to its side too. What did he do? Is he also a ninja? Hmm, he's getting even more interesting than I thought. Satotsu told me to go and check up on Menchi and Buhara. He said that Menchi gets an " attitude " if she has to wait. So i did as he said. As I'm leaping tree to tree, the smell came and hit me. Fresh barbequed pig. Ohmygodd. That smells soooo good ! With Menchi's training tips, I landed on my feet gracefully. All I saw was Menchi and Buhara sitting there and getting agitated.

_( Must be because they're getting hungry by the second .. )_

" Menchi ! Buhara ! "  
They both looked up surprised. Menchi gave out a big smile.

" YUUUKIII ! YOUR HERE ? YOU COULD HAVE TOLD ME THAT BEFORE ! I WOULD HAVE GIVEN YOU A TOUR AROUND THE FOREST ! Oh. Before I forget. Yuuki, this is Buhara. My partner in crime, everytime. Buhara, this is Yuuki. She's Ayako's daughter. "

Buhara gave a widened look.

" AYAKO HAD A DAUGHTER ? SINCE WHEN ! "

" Buhara. . . FOR 13 YEARS ALREADY ! NETERO COULDN'T STOP BRAGGING HOW HE WAS SO HAPPY THAT HE HAS A GRANDDAUGHTER ! HOW COULD YOU FORGET ! "

" Ohhhh ! I remember now ! "

Buhara turned to me, and putted out a hand.

" It's such an honor to finally meet you, Yuuki. "

I shook his hand. Well, I shook his index finger. That guy's hands are HUGE. Menchi then got up and came towards me.

" So Yuuki. What brings you here? "

" Oh. umm. Satotsu told me to check up on you, 'cause he said that if you wait too long, you will have this "attitude problem. "

" ATTITUDE PROBLEM ? EXCUUSE MEE ? I SO DO NOT. . Ohh. . I guess I do have a problem don't I? Eheh . . "

She gave me an apologetic look.

" It's okay, Menchi. We all aren't perfect. "

Menchi then mumbled something like " yeaah, suure. Satotsu is so perfect. "

" Satostu is perfect? "

Menchi gave me a surprised look.

" You heard that? "

" Yeaah. I can hear low whispers or conversations now. Don't know how though, but yeah. "

" OHMYGODD ! YUUKI ! YOU DEVELOPED A NEW POWER ! "

" I did. . .? "

' YESS ! "

" Umm. . Okaay. It's a good thing riight ? "

" Of course it's a good thing , the more powers you have , the more stronger you are . "

Menchi looked up and so did I. We both heard the ground rumbling. Probably the examinees coming back with the piggy's.

" Yuuki. I'm sad to say this, but you have to go now. Those examinees are coming back. "

" Yea, I already know that. "

" But you'll still be around right? Like in the trees or something? "

" Yup. Satotsu is gonna be with me, don't worry "

" Okaay. Best be on your way. See ya later ! "  
And with that she gave me a tight hug. Buhara gave me a pat on the head. I dashed for the trees and jumped up. I never realized that I could jump that high. I went back to the tree where I was before, but Satostu wasnt there.

" Psst. Yuuki. Over here. "

I turned to my left and saw that Satotsu was three trees away from me. As I reached him I asked him why he moved. He told me that I can get a better look of the examiner's from there. Does he know I like one of the examinees? I rather not ask that in general. So I told him my thanks and took my place on a branch. Now the aroma of barbequed pig was getting stronger and stronger. I literally was drooling. I think I was getting hungry also . All the examinees were running towards the building with the pigs above their heads. How was Buhara gonna eat all those pigs and decide which one was the best? Huuh. Epicure Hunters sure are something.

" Hmmm. That is a surprise. "

I turned to look at Satotsu.

" Now it all depends on the taste. How many will be able to satisfy the appitite of one of the best Epicure Hunters, Buhara. "

I saw Buhara taking one pig at a time and literally, shoving it down his mouth. Not even a MINUTE has passed and Buhara finished every single barbequed big in sight. I was shocked that my mouth hanged opened. I turned to look at Satotsu with my shocked face.

" Yes, Yuuki. Buhara can finish all that in one minute. My god. Is he really an Epicure Hunter? "

I turned to see what Menchi and Buhara were gonna do next. Buhara patted his stomach and said that he was full. Menchi banged a gong.

" Alright ! That's it ! Seventy pigs completed ! "

_( NAANNII ! SEVENTY PIGS ? I CAN'T EVEN EAT ONE PIG OF THAT SIZE ! Woow. Buhara is something. EPICURE HUNTERS are really something. )_

" Neee ! Buhara ! Are you gonna say that ALL the pigs were good ? We can't make that a test then ! "

" Well, Menchi. They were all very very good. And also we were able to decrease some of the numbers of the examinees. "

" Tch. Your waaay to easy on them. One who is an Epicure Hunter must be honest about taste. Oh well. I guess it can't be helped. "

She went over to the gong and banged it again.

" HAAAIIII ! BARBEQUED PIG TEST IS OVER ! SEVENTY PEOPLE PASS ! "

Everyone boomed in cheers.

" Nee. Satotsu-san. I thought you said that the Hunter's Exam was hard. Seventy people pass? That seems a bit much to me. "

" Hai. It is. But seventy people is a good amount of people. That type of pig can be defeated with a very hard blow to the head. But a decent amount of courage, judgement skills and action are needed to hit it accurately. However, the REAL challenge starts here. She's a very tough opponent. With the title of a Single Hunter at her age, she is considered the best Epicure Hunter. The dishes she prepares are exquisite pieces of work. With her incredible will to study, she's sampled many different ingredients. She never forgets the taste of something she eats. At the age of 21, she leads the Epicure Hunter's world. But as a genius, she's sometimes impulsive. If you make a mistake, you fall into a very big hole."

" Woow. She's REALLY something. But I have to say. The things she cooked for me were absolutely delicious. "

I turned to see Menchi.

_( at the age of 21, she's already known as something. woow. She's just ... amazing. )_

" Now, everyone. I'm not as easy as Buhara. My judgements are going to be strict ! Now for the second part of the exam, my menu is. . . SUSHI ! '

" Suushiii? " everyone exclaimed.

Ohmygodd. I LOVE SUSHI ! I wonder is Menchi will let me eat some. . .

" Hmmm, looks like you all are confused. Well I don't blame you. This is a cultural dish from a small island country. I'll give you a hint. Come look inside. "

They all went in and checked out the big building. From where I could see, inside their were tons of cutting boards, knives, and sinks. Sushi is so easy to make, and its delicious ! I wonder if I can sneak in there to eat some. . .

" All the minimum requirements and tools you need are all here. And we also provided the rice needed for sushi. Now the biggest hint ! I'll only accept pressed sushi. Now it's time to start ! The exam will end when I am full. During that time, you can make as much as you want. "

Everyone is concentrating hard now. They have no idea what " pressed sushi " is. I see people playing with the knives and people making balls of rice. As I look around at each of the examinees, I see that cute boy figuring that the knives are for something else. I see that the bald guy is laughing like crazy. Hmmm. I think he knows what pressed sushi is. . . I can hear the tribal guy and the suit guy very clearly cause they are shouting out. Apparently, the tribal guy knows the ingredients for the sushi. Everyone heard that the main ingredient is ' fish. ' So now everyone ran out of the building and heading to the river. I asked Satotsu if it was alright if I went to Menchi and Buhara. He said it was fine. So I dropped down and headed to them.

" YUUUKIII ! "

Menchi waved and lifted me off the ground for a big hug.

" Yuuki ! Do you want some sushi ? I'll make you a delicious one and you can have it ! "

" Really ? Okaaay , I looove sushii . "

Buhara came forward and turned to Menchi.

" Your mean, Menchi. The toppings for the sushi is fish from the ocean " Menchi turned to Buhara and give a sly smile.

" That's what makes it interesting. I've already eaten all of the regular sushi toppings. "

" Yuuukiiii ! "

I turned around and see Satotsu coming down the trees.

" Yuuki, let's go. I want to let you see how the examinees catch fish. "

" But Satotsu-san, I already know how to catch fish. "

" I knoow. But remember, these aren't regular people. I want you to see their techniques. "

" Haaaai. Let's go then. "

As we were making our way to the trees, Menchi called back to us.

" YUUUKII ! WHEN YOU COME BACK, I'LL HAVE SUSHI READY FOR YOU ! "

I turned around and gave a huge smile.

" ARIGATO GOZAIIMASUUU ! "

Satotsu and I , again, climbed the trees and headed our way to the river, where all the examinees are. As I got there, I see a lot of people using the old fashion way to catch fish. A fishing rod. I see that bald guy sitting on the rock to wait for the fishes to come. I see that green boy using his fishing rod. The suit guy jumped into the river and was swimming to catch the fish. I found the cute boy, and he's using his hands to grab the fishes. That magician/clown guy came above the water with the fish in his mouth. I have to say, people are creative when they want something.

" See, Yuuki? When you become a Hunter, you will have to be creative in order to get something you want. "

" When I become a Hunter? "

" Hai. Netero wants you to become a Hunter someday. So that you can be protective of yourself. "

I started to wonder if I wanted to become a hunter. Do I, or do I not? I guess when the time comes, I will know.


	4. Chapter 4 Second Exam Part 2

Chatper 4 - Second Exam. Part 2.

The examinees are returning to the building with fishes in their hands. When we got to the building, I can see that they are deep in thoughts on how to make it. I started to be amazed as I saw all the unique fishes they got.  
Menchi also looked around at their " catches ".  
' Now, I'm excited about what kind of seasonings they are going to put. I'm here today as a chef, instead of an examiner. "  
" Isn't it bad to judge as a chef? " asked Buhara " Naanii ? "  
" . . . Nevermind . . . "  
The suit guy finished first and headed towards Menchi. He seems kinda confident on what he has. Let's see what he made.  
" I finished first, and I call this the " Leorio Special " . "  
Leorio? Is that what his name is? Hmm. I guess that name kinda suits him as a suit guy. He opened the lid and out showed his dish. What. . ? What the hell is that? No offence but. . . ew. The fish is still alive in the ball of rice. And another thing. Ball of rice? Bu Buuuu. Wrong Leorio. Guess you have to try again. Menchi just stared at the dish. I think she's thinking what I'm thinking. " I CAN'T EAT THIS ! "  
And with that Menchi threw the dish over her head. Leorio gawked at her.  
" HEY !You don't need to throw the dish away, dammit ! "  
" Whaaaat. You want to FAIIIILLL or something? Hurry up and go back. Make a new one. "  
Leorio just gawked at her some more, cursed , and walked off.  
" Listen ! Shape is everything ! Whatever pressed sushi is not the right shape, it won't even be sampled ! "  
The boy in green was next to show his dish. Menchi threw the dish over her head too.  
" Your at the same level as 403 ! "  
The boy was depressed now. The tribal guy went up to him and gave him a pat on the back.  
" It's alright, Gon. Huuh. So his name is Gon. All I want to know is that cute boy's name ! I wonder if I can hear really whispered conversations they have. The rest of the examinees sushi were failed too. " Nee, Yuuki? "  
" Haai, Satotsu-san? "  
" I was wondering. Do you know what pressed sushi is? "  
I was shocked to hear that Satotsu doesn't know what pressed sushi are.  
" Haaiii. It's my favourite ! Menchi-san told me that she would make me some later. "  
" Hmmm. I can't wait to see what pressed sushi is. I just can't take my eyes off this. "  
Ohh ! The cute boy is next ! I wonder what he prepared ! He took off the lid and it seemed delicious. It wasn't pressed sushi, that's for sure.  
" Shrimp coctail, trout marinated with mustard sauce and rice. Sushi Bourgogne Style. "  
Uh oh. For some reason I sense that Menchi is getting pissed. . . . . . I was right.  
" THIS IS GROSS ! "

HOW COULD SHE SAY THAT THAT WAS GROSS ?  
-siigh-  
Well she IS the top Epicure Hunter. She also, threw that over her head. Buhara caught all those food in his mouth. HE said it was delicious. I saw that that magician/clown guy got off the line and walked out of the building. He went over to the river and opened his dish. Ohmygodd, it's the exact same as that cute boy's ! Menchi was getting irritated now.  
" C'MON ! I HAVEN'T EVEN TASTED ONE YET ! Are you all going to make me starve to death? "  
The tribal guy went next and opened the lid. It's the exact as Leorio's !  
" YOUR AT THE SAME LEVEL AS THE FIRST GUY ! "  
Menchi was getting a fit now. She's yelling all sort's of stuff like how she's giving away too many hints already and how they can't observe well. But if someone doesn't know how to make something, nor knows what it looks like, they can't make it to perfection without demonstrations. I think Menchi is going a bit overboard with this. The bald guy was up next. He seems SUPER confident with his work. He opened he's lid and voila ! Pressed sushi !  
" Satotsu-san ! Now THAT'S pressed sushi for ya. "  
" Hmmm. What an odd dish. "  
I watched as Menchi tried the sushi. She finishes it and hands the dish back to him.  
" No. This is not good. Go and redo it. "  
The bald guy gawked at her.  
" WHAAT? HOW HARD IS IT TO MAKE PRESSED SUSHI ? YOU MAKE IT INTO A RECTANGULAR SHAPE, THE SIZE OF A MOUTHFULL. THEN PUT SOME WASABI AND SLICED FISH ON TOP. THERE IS NO DIFFERENT TASTE ON WHOEVER MAKES THIS CRAP ! . . . . . . Oops. . aww shit. "  
SO SMART ! He told everyone what pressed sushi is. Sooo smaart. . . Everyone is now grinning and realizing that now they know what to make. Menchi got pissed off even more. " Easy. . ? SAME TASTE ? THIS CRAP ? "  
Menchi got soo pissed that she grabbed the guy by his collar and shook him.  
DON'T FOOL AROUND WITH ME, YOU BASTARD ! IT SAIDS THAT YOU NEED TEN YEARS OF EXPERIENCE TO MAKE THIS ! EVEN IF YOU AMATEURS WERE TO GET THE SHAPE RIGHT, THE TASTE WILL BE VERY DIFFERENT ! BAAAKKAAAA ! "  
The bald guy was getting scared.  
" THEN DON'T MAKE THIS THE TOPIC FOR THE TEST ! "  
" SHUT UP ! GOT A PROBLEM ? YOU WANT TO DIIIEEE ? "  
I looked over to Satotsu.  
' Nee, Satotsu-san? Is this how Menchi usually acts? "  
-siigh-  
" I'm afraid so. When Menchi gets worked up, she can't compromise with her taste no more. Only a very few chefs around the world can sastify her taste when she is in this mood. "  
" Woow. Suugoiii. That's gonna be very hard for the examinees then. "  
" Hai, it will be. "  
Satotsu was right. I can't take my eyes off this. This is getting more and more intresting by the minute !  
Menchi finally let go of the bald guy and slumped back into the sofa.  
" Ahhhh. All that shouting made me even more hungrier ! Alright ! Neeext ! "  
Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, dashed to where Menchi was. They all have the exact same thing now. She's gonna get full fast.  
" Daamn ittt ! The way to make it is now out thanks to him ! Looks like I have to judge by taste. Let's see. . . . "  
She took Gon's sushi. She chewed it for awhile.  
" No. You pressed it too hard. The rice is too hard and won't break apart. "  
Buhara looked down at her with sadness in his eyes.  
" Menchi.. I think your being a bit too strict. "  
Menchi gave him a death glare.  
" YOU BE QUIET ! "  
She took another piece and said that the way he cut the fish was all wrong. She took a piece from the guy with needles sticking out of his head. She said that the rice is shaped bad. Redo it. She took one from the guy who tricked Leorio and the others before. She said that he made too slow and that his body warmth is on it. Ew. Ohmygodd.  
That's totally disgusting. . All the sushi that she took, she kept saying how its bad and stuff. After ten minute of the " no's ", Menchi made some tea and drank some. I feel her presence cooled down. Guess she's not mad anymore.  
" Sorry everyone ! I'm full now ! "  
Everyone is in shock. So what happens now, I thought. The bald guy said the same thing. Thanks bald guy for asking that. " So just as I said before. No one passes ! Come again ! "  
Uh oh. I don't like the presence from the examinees down there. All of a sudden the atmosphere turned rotten. Angry you can say. They kept saying how it was unfair and that they aren't convinced. Oh Menchi, just give them an easier test to do. Just don't let your attitude get in the way ! Menchi took out her cellphone and called the head office I suppose. She yelled in her cellphone how the results are the results. No way in changing it. I felt sorry for the examinees.  
" Menchi looses herself when it comes to food. " Buhara boomed " YOU STAY OUT OF THIS BUHARA ! I'm the one who is in charge of this test. Got any problems with it? "  
People started argueing with her. I heard things like they lost because of a stupid cooking test, what the hell is this?, What kind of result is that ! "  
" My, my. Why don't we go down to get a better hearing, Yuuki? Even though I can tell that you can hear everything perfectly from here. "  
" Up to you Satotsu-san. "  
We jumped off the branch as quietly as possible and walked with no sound. I had to make some cracking noises while I was walking. I hear complete silence from Satotsu when he's walking. Must be years of practice. We leaned our backs against the wall.  
" There's gonna be a dispute over this. " said Satotsu I nodded in agreement. I heard Menchi starting to talk again in the phone.  
" Anyways, I won't change my decisions ! The number of people who passed the Second Exam is ZERO ! Do you hear me ? Z-E-R-O ! "  
All of a sudden, Gon jumped on top of the sofa and grabbed the cellphone from Menchi. Whaat? Is he allowed to DO that?  
" Jotto Matte ! Time out ! "  
Menchi got even more pissed at that.  
" HEY. WHAT ARE YOU DOING? GIVE THAT BACK ! "  
She snatched the phone out of Gon's hands.  
" But ! But ! I have to pass the Hunter's Exam to meet my Oto-san ! "  
" Oh my. What a pity. But the one with the rights to decide who passes and who fails is me. Understand, Little boy? "  
Gon got off the sofa and went to Menchi's back.  
" So, Menchi-san ! You just have to say that we can redo the whole thing again ! "  
" IF I SAY NO, THEN IT'S A NO ! THIS YEARS EXAMS ARE OVER ! YOU GUYS GO HOME NOW ! "  
All of a sudden there was a loud CRASH ! in the room. I turned to see what it was, and to my surprise, this big guy punched the sink, which made a very big hole in it. " I'm not convinced. . I JUST CAN'T SAY OKAY AND LEAVE ! "  
Menchi turned and stared at the guy.  
" If you're complaining, I already got enough from this little boy ! So just do your best next year ! "  
" NAANII ? I'M NEITHER TRYING TO BECOME A CHEF NOR AN EPICURE ! I. WANT. TO. BECOME. A. HUNTER ! Also, I'm hoping to become a Blacklist Hunter. So I'm saying that a mere EPICURE Hunter deciding who passes and who fails is unconvincing ! "

Ohhh. . He shouldn't have said a " mere epicure hunter ". That would have gotten me pissed straight up !  
" Yeah ! That's right ! A Hunter who eats good food and and lounges in a chair? Don't make me laugh ! "  
" Number 255, wrestler Todo. " said the tribal guy.  
" I don't consider her as a Hunter, nor an examinee ! The others shouldn't be able to go so easily, either. "  
Buhara then got up.  
" Jotto matte, Buhara. Don't interfere. "  
" But I'll only break a few arms. . If you deal with him you'll " cook " him. "  
" Huuh. I'd like to see that " cook " thing. " said the cute boy.  
Whaat? The cute boy wants to see him get cooked? Well, I don't blame him. Todo is very annoying.  
" Fine. Number 255. I'll show you what an Epicure Hunter is all about. Well. . The others can watch as a parting gift. "  
She flung her knives into her back pocket. That comes in very handy, I suppose.  
" Wait here about and an hour. "  
" An hour? " questioned Todo.  
And with that Menchi left the building. She streched and then vanished. All there was left was her footprint. I can sense where she is. She's not that far. . . Huh? Wait a minute. . .She's coming back? I wonder why. . . Everyone is in shock that she left so fast. " Looks like this situation an unexpected turn. This makes it even harder not to watch. "  
" I agree, Satotsu-san. "  
I sensed something coming towards us. Something very fast.  
" Nee. . Satotsu-san? Do you sense that? "  
' Hai, Yuuki-chan. Don't worry. It's nothing harmless. "  
After Satotsu said those last words, Menchi appeared beside him.  
" Boo ! " " ... "  
" Yuuki, why aren't you scared? "  
" Well, to tell you the truth. I knew you were coming. I sensed something very fast approaching us. "  
" Oh ! Well, nevermind that. Remember how I said that I wanted to show you the forest? "  
She did. . ? Ohh. . waiit. . .I did remember her saying that. . . i think . . .  
" Hai, Menchi-san. I remember. "  
She gave me an evil grin.  
" Now is the perfect time. "  
" Huuh? "  
" Hehehe. Follow me ! Is that alright Satotsu? "  
We both looked at him.  
" Well I guess it is okay. Just make sure she doesn't get lost or hurt. Netero will kill both of us if anything happened to her. "  
" Haaii ! Let's go, Yuuki ! "  
Menchi took my hand and I was flying. Okay, well, I wasn't FLYING. She was going through the forest so fast, that it made me go up in the air. Menchi led me deeper into the forest, where more violent monsters live. There was a time when a lop-eared bunny came out from the bushes. It was so adorable ! I stopped and stared at it. It stared back. I approached it and it did the same thing. I was about to pet it when a knife slashed through the bunny, right in the middle. The knife hit a tree and the bunny was just hanging there on the knife off the ground . . . blood was gushing right out . . . . I was in total shock. I love cute, adorable things ! And seeing a cute little bunny getting killed right infront of my eyes, makes me cry. As tears were pooling down my face,  
I saw that lop-eared bunny moving and flinching around. I stared at it confusedly. The lop-eared bunny transformed into this, horrid, green blob monster. Ew. . . " That's the Ado-Monster. Since that monster tries to transform into something adorable, they named it Ado-monster. It lures you with it's cuteness, then once your close enough, it will strike you. And thus, your life ends. "  
I turned to see Menchi coming towards me, she bent down next to the lop-ea. . . . . the " Ado-Monster " and withdrew her knife.  
" You have to be careful, Yuuki. You don't want Netero to be worried do you? "  
I gave her an apologetic look. She smiled and held out her hand. I took it and once again, we were racing past the trees. I have to say, it felt nice flying past the trees. The wind whipping through my hair . . . feeling like your actually flying in the air. . . Maan . . I can actually get used to this. I saw Menchi landing on the ground so I did the same.  
As we landed, Menchi knelt down and felt the grass beneath her.  
" It's still fresh "  
" Menchi . . Are we hunting something ? "  
She looked up at me and smiled. All of a sudden she gave me this blank look . She whipped her head to the side and looked at something. I looked at her direction and almost went pale. This gigantic bear with horns was right infront of us. I started trembling, I had no idea what to do.  
" Get back, Yuuki. I don't want you to get hurt . Netero would fire me if that ever happened . "  
I did as she said and i dashed for the trees in the other direction. I was probably a few feet away, when i decided to duck behind a bush. I was curious of what Menchi was gonna do. The bear slashed the tree, where Menchi was . I couldnt see where Menchi was until she landed on the ground again . Apparently the bear is after Menchi and it's attacking her . Menchi got out her knives and smiled.  
" Gotcha ! "  
The bear launched for her, but she dodged it easily by jumping up in the air and landing on its shoulder . She slashed her knife somewhere on the head . I couldnt make out where on the head. She was just way to fast . She landed on the ground again and caught something in the air . From where I was, it looked like fur . I saw Menchi racing towards me .  
" C'mon, Yuuki ! I got what I need . NOW RUN ! "  
I got up and ran for my life . I saw some monsters eyeing me like I was " delicious " or something, as I was racing through the trees . Menchi was right on my trail, and just as I was out of breath , we were out of the forest . I stopped short and I fell to the floor. I never ran that much in my life before. EVER . I needed to catch my breath. Menchi ran to my side.  
" YUUKI ! OH. MY. GOD . YUUKI ! ARE YOU ALRIIGHT ! "  
I was breathing a bit better now . Like I can probably say a sentence now.  
" I'm . . fine. . .Menchi . . ."  
Okaay. . scratch that. . word by word sentence then . . " Need. . . to. . . catch . . breath . . ."  
I heard someone coming. I looked up and saw Satotsu. He bent down and picked me up .  
" Menchi .. I think you have examinee's to prove, don't you ? " said Satotsu " Yes, but I can't just leave without knowing that Yuuki will be alright . "  
I struggled in Satotsu's arms as I tried to face Menchi .  
" Menchi . . please go . . I'm gonna . . . be fine "

-siiigh-  
" Alriight, Yuuki . I'll go with your word. "  
And with that, she left for the building behind us. Satotsu carried me to the building. We never went inside of course. We were just outside the buildings wall, so that we can see what happens next inside. He placed me on the floor, so my back was leaning against the wall. Everyone looked out of patience , as Menchi stepped in. 


	5. Chapter 5 Second Exam Part 3

**Chapter 5 - Second Exam. Part 3**

" Expecting me ? " She gave a huge smile with that.

Todo turned around and gave a cocky smile.

" You said something about a parting gift an hour ago. Your empty-handed. "

Menchi gave a sly grin.

" Where are you looking at ? "

She reached into her shirt and fumbled with her front part of her bra, and she took out a bottle of. . . well I have no idea what it is, so I'll call it something for now.

" Look at this ! "

She showed it to everyone in the room.

" What is that ? " said Leorio.

Gon approached the bottle.

" It's moss . But it's different from normal moss. " said Gon Moss. . ? That couldn't be moss. . . can it ?

" Oh ! Little boy, your right ! " exclaimed Menchi " MOSS ? " yelled Todo " That thing is. . " said Buhara Menchi walked up to the cooking counter . She flung open the lid of the bottle .

" It's not just any type of moss. First , you dice it up really well "

She started cutting the moss up very quickly, took out some rice and putted it in a bowl. Then placed the moss ontop of the rice.

" And it's delicious if you put this on top of rice . . . . Now, try eating it ! "

She handed the dish to Todo . He seemed really disgusted . I don't think he'll eat that . . . " Now ! "

" I won't eat any moss ! Are you trying to make a fool out of me ? It's not even funny ! " exclaimed Todo .

Gon jumped up onto the counter and grabbed the moss rice .

" Then i'll eat it ! "

He spooned the rice .

" Itadakimasuuu ! "

And with that he ate it .

" Don't eat it , Gon ! What are you going to do if you get sick ! " yelled Leorio The cute boy turned to face Leorio .

" Gon knows if it's bad for him or not . "

Gon kept chewing and chewing .

" Hmmm ? "

Leorio went to him .

" It's nasty, right ? Spit it out . "

Gon shook his head .

" Mnnnmmm "

" It's good ? "

Gon made a face .

" Not really . . . "

" Which is it ! Is it good or bad ? "

" Datte ! I've never tasted something like this before ! I can only say that it tastes mysterious. "

Huu huu huuu .

" I see that the little boy doesn't understand " said Menchi " This is the Big-Horned Bear's horn moss . Only a few exist in the Raoul Mountain across the Numele Swamp. This is the delicacy that epicures worldwide will drool over . "

" Hmmm , impressive work from a single hunter indeed " said Satotsu-san.

I looked at him " Indeed it is ."

" Wait a minute . . " said Leorio " You went even deeper into the swamp, where almost half the candidates failed , and got that ? "

" She doesn't have a scratch , and it took only an hour to make a roundtrip " said the tribal guy .

" She's pretty good . " said the cute guy .

I can tell that Menchi was flattered by those comments . With one look at her face and you can say that she is reaaallyy flattered . She sat down on the couch .

" Have you changed your mind about the Epicure Hunters now ? "

Gon went up and tried to get another spoonfull of the rice .

" I'll have to eat a little more to decide . "

Menchi grabbed the plate and spoon from Gon .

" Stop trying to take seconds ! Do you know how rare this is ! "

Todo got fustrated by now . He clenched his fists and flipped the table . The bottle with the rare moss went flying . Luckily Menchi caught it .

" I don't care if it's a delicacy or not ! But anything that makes you full is good enough ! An Epicure Hunter who spends their time on that is just not serious and they borrow the name of a  
hunter ! "

" Looks like your a true idiot "

" WHAT DID YOU SAY ? "

Some of the other examinees went up and also agreed .

" We're also not convinced if we fail like this ! "

I think Todo was happy that he has backup .

" I'm going to grab you by the neck and tell the committee that Epicure Hunters aren't qualified to be examiners ! " exclaimed Todo -siigh-

" Do as you wish "

And with that Menchi turned around and walked away .

" Yoou . . BASTARD ! "

The people who supported Todo charged for Menchi . All of a sudden , a huge hand blocked them and made them fly to the wall . I never knew Buhara would get into Menchi's fights for her. It was Todo's turn to charge . He charged and went behind Buhara , went between his legs and picked him up and flung him across the wall . Buhara landed on the wall , which surprisingly didn't break .

" Satotsu-san . . this is getting ugly , shouldnt we liike . . STOP this fight ? "

" Well , why should we stop someone elses fight ? We know that Buhara and Menchi are very strong people . They know what their doing . "

" But .. ! "

Satotsu-san cut me off .

" Now , now . You know its too interesting . Just wait a little while . It's gonna turn better soon ."

As Satotsu said that , I saw Buhara look up .

' Heh . Your pretty strong . "

_( You can say THAT again . . . )_

" I guess i'll just fight more seriously . . "

Buhara got up . He doesnt seem to be in any bad condition . Menchi stepped infront of Buhara .

" Buhara . Don't interfere . "

Todo got ready .

" LET'S GO THEN ! "

And he charged at Menchi , tried to grab her , but he missed . He punched her , but she dodged that . He punched with the other hand , she dodged that also . Then she kneed him on the chest with her hands crossed . She kicked him some more and he went down .

" Your hoping to become a Blacklist Hunter with only that much skill ? Don't make me laugh . It doesn't matter what kind of hunter you want to be . "

She walked up to Todo, as he was standing up .

" All hunters have experience with martial arts . If you're to become a hunter, you learn even if you don't want too . "

Satotsu-san was getting down the tree .

I tried to whisper as softly as I could .

" Satotsu-san ! Where are you going ? "

He looked up the tree .

" You come down too , Yuuki . I think it's time for me to stop it now . "

" But Satotsu-san . "

I slid down the tree as quietly as I could . That sorta failed, cause I snapped a few branches here and there .

" I thought you said that you didnt want to interrupt somebody else's fight ? "

" That was before , and besides , I don't think Menchi will stop anytime soon if I don't say anything . Just wait by the door , if you hear anyone coming , make a run for the closest trees. "

" Alriight , Satotsu-san . "

And we headed towards the building . I pressed my back against the wall and Satotsu-san went in .

" Menchi-san , let's stop this now . "

Everyone turned to see who it was . While Todo fainted to the floor .

" No one here doubts your ability to be an examiner . How should I say this . . . . I shouldn't be butting in about the second exam, but . . . "

" Then please don't , Satotsu . No matter what anyone says, I don't intend on changing the results of the exam . Listen up . What I wanted to find out in this test was not just your physical strength , I wanted to see if you guys had the spirit to challenge the unknown . "

As Menchi was talking , I heard something above us , I looked up but couldnt make out what it was . It looked familiar, though . As it got closer , I realized what it was . It was the blimp I rode on last time . Waiit . . does that mean Oji-san is there . . .? I miss him a lot . Suuure , he was weird and funny . But he's MY weird and funny Oji-san . I almost yelled " _OJI-SAN !_ " , but then I became aware of my surroundings . I can't let people know I'm here. Not now , at least . I smiled when I heard Oji-san .

" But still , Menchi-kun. Isn't failing everyone a bit too harsh ? "

" Huuh ? "

Everyone looked up and also saw the blimp in the sky . I figured people will rush outside so I ran for the closest tree . It gave me a good view of the clearing up ahead. One of the examinees shouted.  
" That . . that is ! That is the Hunter Committee's Mark ! Is it the Examination Committee ? "

The blimp flew over us a bit more till something came out of it and is flying down to us . HOLY SHIT . IS THAT MY OJI-SAN ? SOMEONE HELP HIM ! OHMYGOD , HE'S SO STUPID ! JUMPING FROM , WHO KNOWS HOW MANY STORIES HIGH . I can't look , so I covered my eyes with my hands . I heard a huge thump . I was too shocked to look up . I started crying , when I heard people gasp . I looked up slowly and there was my Oji-san. All in one piece .

_( Oh thank god . )_

" Mr . . President . . . " said Menchi As Oji-san was walking , I noticed Satotsu wasn't there anymore . I was about to look for him when he appeared beside me .

" This is unusual . The president himself has come here . "

" But i'm happy that Oji-san is here . "

" hahaha , i guess you are indeed . "

Some of the people were gawking at where he landed . I looked over too . And what i saw was definately surprising . The ground has been moved around weirdly . It would've taken a huuge amount of wind and pressure to make it look that way . Menchi bowed .

" It's a pleasure to meet you again , President Netero . "

Oji-san answered with a nod .

" I'm gonna go down again . "

I turned to Satotsu-san .

" Again ? This time can I go too ? "

" Im sorry , Yuuki . Not yet . "

He slid down the tree .

" The Examination Committee President "

Everyone turned to where Satotsu-san was walking to Oji-san .

" He's the most important person in charge of the Hunter Exam . "

He got to Oji-san and bowed .

" Even if you say im in charge , I just work behind the scenes . I basically resolve troubled situations like these . Now , Menchi-kun . "

_( kun ? shouldn't it be -chan ? . . . . )_

I can feel Menchi tense up .

" ha . . haii . "

" You , at the second half of the Second Exam , tried to see if these people had the spirit to challenge the unknown by testing them through cooking . "

" Yes ! My purpose was solely based on that point . That's why I gave an especially difficult topic , but . . "

" Buuut ? "

" uhh. . uhh. . nothing . . "

" By examining the candidates on that purpose , everyone had a problem in their attitude . So is that not the reason why you failed everyone ? "

" Umm . . No . . one of the candidates criticized cooking . So I lost my temper, and at the same time , I ran into trouble where all the candidates found out how to make the dish . While I became mad , I became full , and . . . and . . . "

" So you realized that you didn't test them thoroughly enough ? "

" Hai , when it comes to cooking , i lose myself . I'm not worthy of being an Examiner . . . Sumimasen "

" Ho ho ho . Your an honest girl . As an Examiner, you do seem to have some problems . But as an Epicure Hunter with the Single title, the situation was inevitable . It's proof that your passionate about cooking . "

" Mr. President . . . "

" How's this then ? Redo the test and Menchi-kun can resume as the Examiner . "

Im happy for everyone getting a second chance . Oji-san is too nice .

" But before the new topic, you'll have to give a demonstration for the test . How's that ? That way the candidates will be convinced of the pass or fail verdict . "

Everyone is now saying how its such a fair game now . Thought they were goners there .

" So what's the topic for the retest, Examiner ? "

" Umm . . let's see. . I got it ! The topic for the retest is . . boiled eggs ! Mr. President , can you take us to that mountain over there ? "

" Hmm? Ahhh , I see . That's an easy task . "

So everyone boarded the plane . I was thinking of being the last one to enter when Oji-san was at my side .

" Gaah ! "

" Ho ho ho . I'm sorry . Did I scare you, Yuuki ? "

" YES ! OJI-SAN HAS NO PRESENCE WHEN WALKING . "

" Ho ho ho . Years of practice . Now shall we go on ? "

" But what if someone see's me ? "

" I think it's okay if someone sees you now . And im pretty sure that you want to try this challange . "

" How do you know if I want to do that ? "

" Because your Ayako's daughter , she always did the most daring things . So come on , let`s go . "

I got on the blimp and I saw the examinees , they didnt notice I was there . Im glad that I fitted in . I looked around and I saw that cute boy eyeing me . I swear no one was looking at me. So why was he the only one looking at me ? I felt my face heat up , so I walked over to the window and stared out to the scenery . It was only a very short ride , we landed , exited the blimp and followed Menchi . I was in the middle of the group so I won't seem like and outcast .

" We're here " said Menchi Everyone, including me looked over the cliff . It was a verrry long fall down . At the bottom was a river . Menchi started to take off her boots .

" Don't worry , there's a deep river down there . So here I go ! "

She back flipped and was falling down the cliff .

" The Spider-Eagle lives on Mt . Mafutatsu . She went to get it's egg . The Spider-Eagle extends a tough string between the valley and hangs its egg in order to protect it from predators .  
Get one Spider egg and come back . "

I saw Menchi grabbing hold of one of the strings , jumped then grabbed the strings with both her legs and reached for an egg . Once she got it , she jumped again and grabbed the ledge and kept jumping until she reached the top .

" You make a boiled egg with this ! "

everyone oouuuu'd .

" Be careful though , the river below flows pretty fast . If you fall , you'll flow non-stop to the ocean , which is 20 to 30 kilometers away . "

" Boy , I'm glad " said the cute boy " I was waiting for these kind of tests ! " said Gon -siigh-

" This is much easier to understand than running and cultural foods . " said Leorio The tribal guy agreed with him .

Leorio jumped in first , then Gon, then the tribal guy , then all these people .

" What about everyone else ? " Are you gonna quit ? " asked Menchi Oji-san turned around " It takes courage to quit too . The test isn't only this year . "

I saw that Todo jumped too . I saw a lot of people falling into the water . I feel sorry for them . All of a sudden these eagles came out of no where , but they had spiders on their heads. So it's the Spider-eagles . OH NO. THEY'VE COME TO PROTECT THEIR EGGS , WHICH MEANS THEY HAVE TO HURT THE PEOPLE . Todo lost his balance and fell , surprisingly Gon let go of the string and went after Todo . He used his fishing rod to hook on to one of the strings . At least their safe .

" That boy is one odd kid " said Menchi .

I walked over to Menchi " you mean Gon ? "

" Mhmm . "

Oji-san turned to me .

" Oh, so your friends with them already ? "

" Oh no . I was hiding the whole time , I just hear people's names by listening to their conversations . "

" Ahh , your hearing has kicked in . Well done . Also , Yuuki . Why don't you go and get an egg ? "

Menchi and Satotsu-san looked at him like he was crazy .

" Ho ho ho , don't worry . I believe in her . She'll get one . Now go ahead . "

So I backed up and made a ran for the cliff . It felt so nice falling , I don't know how to explain it , but it just does to me . I grabbed onto one of the strings . and held on . I tried to balance myself on the string , so that I can walk on it . It was so hard to balance ! The wind , and the birds that were flying around were distracting me . For some reason the birds didnt attack me, they just looked at me and flew off and pecked at another person. I steadied myself and I got an egg ! One of the birds came up to me . I thought it was gonna hurt me , but it didnt . It was flying beside me . I carefully went back and jumped on the cliffs . I felt someone staring at me , I looked back and it was the cute boy again .

-siigh-

Well I don't blame him , hes never seen me doing all the other tests , so it's only natural . As I was going up , the bird followed me . I think it's trying to tell me something , maybe like " oh this is my egg , I'm waiting for the moment to get it back " When I was thinking this , I didnt notice that I slipped and I was falling . Oh greeaat . That's really smart of me . The bird that followed me sqawked and came after me . I think it was trying to save me . . . . But I got really scared , so I closed me eyes and prayed that everything will be okay . As I was praying , I felt arms around me and I stopped falling . I opened my eyes and all I saw was the cute boys face , inches away from mine . I then realized that he saved me . I felt my face getting hotter and hotter .

" Ahh . . Ahhnoo . . aa. . . .arigato . . ."

He didnt say anything , he just kept looking at me . I stared into those blue eyes that I love so much . I felt myself melting into his eyes, till the bird sqawked again . We both jumped a little by surprisement . Thanks sooo much bird . I was still in his arms when he jumped onto a ledge and put me there . He looked at me again and when the bird sqawked , he left.

(_ thanks so much , AGAIN )_

I got to the edge , pulled myself up and ran to Oji-san .

" NETERO ! NETERO ! I GOT ONE ! I GOT AN EGG ! "

" Ho ho ho . See didnt i tell you ? Yuuki is amazing . Good for you, Yuuki . Now put it in that pot over there ."

I was expecting a small cooking pot , but I was wrong . That cooking pot was HUGE . So I dropped my egg in there , even though the water isnt boiled .  
I heard the other people coming up . So I joined the group of people that already placed their eggs in . Surprisingly no one was suspicious of me when I joined in . Except that Magician guy, now HE was eyeing me . I felt a shiver go down my spine . I don't like it when he's eyeing me . Not after his " murder spree " . He definately has bloodlust in his eyes . So I just awkwardly turned to see the people coming . They were all so happy in getting an egg . I was happy for them that they got another chance . When everyone came up , Menchi turned around .

" Times upppp ! Show me the eggs that you guys got . "

I saw Todo going to Menchi . He was shuffling in his pockets , probably for the egg , but he couldn't find it . Gon got infront of him and held an egg infront of Menchi's face .

" Hmmm , pretty smart , little boy . But . . Why did you feel like saving number 255 during the test ? "

" Ahnoo . . He asked for help . "

" Just like that ? "

Menchi seemed disappointed . .

" Are you simple minded or something ? "

Leorio grabbed Gon and nudged him like crazy . He kept saying , " you did it ! you did it ! " Menchi cutted them off .

" Now is not the time to celebrate . "

Everyone looked at her in confusion .

" The test isn't over yet . Now , you guys will prepare the the boiled egg . Let me tell you that a boiled egg is a dish a well . The time you boil it is the most important thing . It doesn't necessarily mean that you can boil a Spider-eagle's egg the same way as a normal egg . If you boil it too much , I guess I don't have to tell you what it's going to be like. If it's soft boiled , you'll fail of course . "

Everyone was nervous by now . They didn't know when to get the egg out . Neither did I . I never boiled a Spider- eagles egg before . So I stood beside this guy who was next to the cute boy . I looked at the egg's in the bowl . The cute boy was eyeing me again , then looked at the eggs too .

" Maybe it's good about now . " said Leorio " No , a little bit longer . " said that tribal guy " I don't even know a normal egg's boiling time . " said the cute boy .

_( Ahhh , he was being modest . How cute . )_

By now the eggs were jumping around in the boiled water . I kept thinking to myself . ( Maybe now , no a bit longer . . . . maybe NOW . . .nooo . . ahhh this is getting nerve racking . . . )  
I heard Buhara groaned . . wait a minute . . Buhara groaned ?

_( I think . . . )_

Gon perked up at him

" you just groaned ! "

Leorio stared at them

" Which means. . "

Everyone caught on now .

" NOW "  
I tried to get one , but everyone's net's were in the way , so I decided to wait a little bit . I waited until I felt my net get heavier . I looked and I saw an egg in my net . Wierd. . how did that get in there ? I looked around and everyone already got their eggs . I saw the cute boy getting his last . I wonder if he got it for me . . naaaah , can't be . I bet people were shuffling so much that one just happened to jump in my net . Yeah , that's what happened . I turned around and saw a very very very pissed Menchi .

" You gave it away dammit ! "

Then she gave everyone a normal egg . When she gave me mine , she whispered in my ear .

" There's a difference in them . You'll loove the taste . Trust me . "

She went back to the front . This one is a normal egg , and this one is the Spider-eagles egg . Now , compare the two ! "

Everyone took a bite from each egg . I bit the Spider-eagles egg first , because I already know what regular boiled egg taste's like .

_( Ohmygodd . THIS IS DELICIOUS . )_

I just kept eating that egg , avoiding what everyone was saying , how it was good and all . After I finished both eggs , I saw Gon give his other half to Todo . He accepted it and he took a bite out of it . He's face perked up . I think he really really really likes it . Menchi walked up to him .

" When one discovers something delicious that no one has ever tried before , there is joy and excitement equivalent to capturing a famous wanted criminal or discovering a treasure . That's why we Epicure Hunters are proud of what we are . "

Todo turned his back from her with his head down and walked a bit . He stopped and turned around .

" I'll be back . . . next year . . . "

And with that he kept walking . Gon approached Menchi .

" You were amazing ! "

" Well I am known as the genius Epicure Hunter . I have to do something Examiner-like . "

She turned around and looked at Oji-san .

" Now , President Netero . "

Oji-san nodded . Menchi turned around again .

" Alright ! Second exam , 42 people pass ! "

Even though there were 43 , if you include me . But I wasn't trying to become a hunter . I'm just here for fun .

" Menchi's menu is now complete ! "

Everyone was bursting with over joyment . Everyone was so happy . People high-fived each other , they laughed with joy and just being pure happy. As the sun was setting down , we hopped on the blimp once again . Everyone went to the window and looked out to the sunset . I just stayed back , with my back against the wall , and looking out at the sunset from where I was . It suure is beautiful . After a long and tiring day , everyone does deserves to see this magnificent, and beautiful sunset .


	6. Chapter 6 Nice to , finally , meet you !

Finally it's here !

Chapteeerrr siiix ! :DD

Enjoooooy ! Comment and Review if you want . (:

33

* * *

**Chapter 6 - Nice to , finally , meet you !**

Menchi came in the room .

" Again , good work everybody . The 42 people here have passed the Second Exam . We are scheduled to arrive at the next destination at 8:00 a.m. "

" This tension is fine with me . Everyone sure looks serious . " said Oji-san .

His assistant , this pink thing , looked at his watch , looked surprised and turned to Oji-san .

" Mr. Netero ! We have to get back to the Hunter Committee for the meeting . "

-siigh-

" That's not really important . Someone else can go instead of me . "

" but . . but . . "

" It can't be helped ! Since we had an unexpected incident . If something else happens , then I should be here to resolve it . So I should just tag along ! "

" But ! "

Menchi cleared her throat .

" Until our next meeting , it's free time . The meeting is now over ! "

Everyone sighed in relief and headed their own directions . A lot of people looked tired , so i'm guessing that their gonna sleep for now .

_( Hmmm , what should I do ? Hmmmmmmm . . . . . . . . . OH ! )_

I remembered that I wanted to explore this ship . So that's what i'll do . I'll go and explore this huuuge ship . As I was leaving , I couldn't help myself taking a peek at the cute boy . I saw him staring at me and I quickly turned away . I left the room , and saw that there were looong hallways . So I took a right and started walking the loong hallways . I saw that there are a lot of doors , so I decided for the heck of it , I'll open them . So many doors to open . So far I've found the kitchen , the washroom . . .

_( might come in handy later )_,

A closet , another washroom , and a stairway .

_( I'll get back to the stairway as soon as i visit the rest of the first floor . )_

" Achoo ! "

I rubbed my nose. I think someone is talking about me . As I was exploring some more , I felt someone following me . . . I sped my pace up , but i still feel someone following me . I stopped . But whatever was following me was still coming . All of a sudden a man's voice perked up .

" Hey cutie . You know it's free time right ? Why don't you spend it with me ? "

I turned around and I saw this very ugly guy . This reminds me of the time at the First Exam . . .

_( why is this happening to me ? )_

" Ummm , no thank you . "

I turned around and kept walking . But he grabbed my arm .

" hey now , c'mooon . Let's have some fuun . "

He started tugging me . I was struggling to get out of his grasp .

" I said no ! "

I thought that I needed to go to attack mode , when I felt someone's hand on the same arm the guy was tugging me . I looked and it was the cute boy ! Yaay ! He's rescuing me . . . . again .

" She said no, already . "

The guy let go of my arm and the cute boy pulled me back so that I was behind him .

" Pffft , and what are you gonna do little boy ? Call your daddy ? Ouuuu , Im sooooo scar . . . . OUUUF ."

He got cut off when the cute boy kneed him in the stomach . The guy went flying and he landed with a THUD !

_( Holy shiiit . He's strong . . . )_

The cute boy turned around to look at me .

" He's unconscience now . Daijoubu desuka ? "

I felt my face getting hot .

" Ahh . . umm . . haii . . dai . . daijoubu. . Umm. . aa. . arigato . . "

He smiled .

" Your welcome . "

In my mind, I kept gawking at him. His smile is reaally cute.

" By the way , what's your name ? "

Now my face was getting hotter and hotter .

" umm . . Yuu. . Yuuki . ."

" Yuuki , which means snow . It fits you . "

I smiled then .

" umm. . ma. . may i know you name too ? "

He gave me one of those cocky smiles . I swear my heart just skipped a beat when I saw it .

" I'm Killua . Nice to finally meet you . "

_( I finally know his naame ! )_

I giggled .

" Nice to finally meet you too . "

I never knew it was so easy making conversation with him . . .

" So how come I only see you sometimes ? "

Okaaay . . scratch that. . I can't just tell him im Netero's grandaughter from out of the blue . . .

" Ahhh . . ummm . . that's because . . . "

" YUUUUKIIIII ! "

I turned around and I saw Menchi coming for me .

(_ SHIT ! Won't it be weird if Menchi came and talk to me ? )_

I turned back to Killua .

" Ahhh . . I have to go . . gomeen . . . "

I gave an apologetic look .

" It's alriight. I know that I'll see you later . "

He gave me a cocky grin .

" Ja nee , Yuuki-chaan. "

" Ja nee , Killua-kun . . "

He turned around and walked off . I turned around to see Menchi right behind me .

" Ouuuu . Who's he ? Who's he ? "

I sighed .

" Just someone I met right now . Someone grabbed me , so he helped me out ."

She looked behind me .

" Is it that guy over there , that's laying on the floor ? "

I turned around and realized that he was still on the floor . I felt a little bit guilty .

" Umm . . yeah . . . "

Menchi looked back at me .

" Leave him , he's unconscience . He'll come too . . . . eventually . . . . "

_( Eventually . . . ? That must have been a hard hit to the stomach or a hard hit to the floor . I better be careful not to piss off Killua in the future . . )_

" Yuuki ? "

I hadn't realized that Menchi was calling me for a while .

" Ahh . . gomen . . haaaii ? "

" Yuuki , can you do me a huge favor ? "

" haaai ? "

" Can you take these bags of coffee beans to the cafe on the bottom floor ? Everyone is in a meeting , and so will I , so i'm asking you . Pleeeeease ? "

I looked behind her . There were only 3 bags of huuge, medium sized coffee bean bags.

_(That's easy , those don't look so heavy . . . . I hope . . . )_

" Suure . But where is the cafe ? "

" Go down the stairs you saw before and the cafe is there . "

" waiit , how do you know I saw stairs ? "

Menchi looked at me .

" Even though your sometimes hard to read , your still a kid . Kids like to explore , I'm guessing thats what you've been doing until the guy grabbed you and the guy you liked saved you . "

My face got brighter . .

" Who. . .who said anything . . .a. . about me liking . .hi . .him . . ? "

" Oh don't be so modest . Your blushing when im talking about him . You have a liking to him don't you ? "

I lowered my head .

" ha. . haii. . ."

" But he's such a spoiled brat ! His blood type is definately a B ! "

Menchi sighed .

" But if you do like him , I won't be in your way . Now hurry along with the coffee beans . And who knows ? You might see him again in the near future . "

She turned around and started walking when she stopped short and turned her head .

" Just be careful , ne ? "

With that she started walking again . I went and grabbed the coffee beans .

_( HOLY SHIT THESE ARE LIGHT . )_

I read the label . Organic made, light weight coffee beans . So is it supposed to be like light in fat and stuff or light as in weight ? Oh well . I went and searched for the stairs . I don't remember where it was , so I opened all the doors again . Stupid me . After five minutes of opening doors , I finally came across the stair case again . Since the coffee beans were really light , I ran down the stairs and smacked face first into the door .

" Owwww . . My nose . . . . "

My nose was stinging and it was red . I rubbed it for awhile until the pain subsided . I opened the door and entered the cafe . It's so huuuuge ! A lot of people were here . They didn't notice that I came in, so I made my way to the counter .

" Excuuse mee ? "

There was nobody there , so I decided to go in myself . I set the coffee beans on the counter and made my way to the little door . I just laid my hand on the latch when someone's hand was on my shoulder . I turned to see a woman wearing a uniform . Like those uniforms you see in an anime, where the girl works in the cafe , with a really puffy apron.

" umm , excuse me . Only employees can get in here . "

" I'm sorry , I just came to deliver the coffee beans . "

The woman looked surprised and gasped .

" Are you Yuuki-chan ? "

" haaai . "

" ohmygod , IM SO SORRY . I DIDNT KNOW WHO YOU WERE . PLEASE EXCUSE MY RUDENESS BEFORE . "

she bowed her head . . . and again. . and again . . . mostly she just kept bowing to me . Over and over and over ..

" Uhh . . uhhh. . its alriight ! Please don't bow to me. Im not worthy to be bowed for ! "

She lifted her head .

" I'm Akimi ,as in an Autumn Fruit. You can call me Aki or Kimi is fine too . "

" Nice to meet you Akimi-chan . I'm Yuuki , as in the snow . "

" I've heard a lot about you from Mr. President . Is it true that your Sakura's grandaughter ? "

I didn't like it when people only reconize me as only Sakura's grandaughter or my Oka-sans daughter . I tried to change the subject .

" haiii . Oh and let me get the coffee beans for you . "

I tried to get the coffee beans when Akimi stopped me .

" It's alriight Yuuki-chan . Just leave it on the counter . Do you want anything to drink ? "

As a matter of fact , I was thirsty .

" Can I please have a cup of hot chocolate ? "

" Haiii , coming right up . "

Akimi made the hot chocolate and gave it to me .

" oh and also , told me to give you this if i ever saw you . It's a list he made for you . "

She fished around her pocket and handed the folded paper to me .

" Arigato Gozaimasuu . "

I went and grabbed a seat with a wall that had plants on it . The other side of the wall was another row of tables . At least I can concentrate what Oji-san made for me . I settled down , took a sip from the cup and unfolded the paper . It seemed like a chore list , but at the top it said daily rountine for tonight .

**1. Deliver coffee beans . Note : they aren't heavy .**  
_ (Think i got that already . )_

**2. Explore the ship for a little bit .**_  
( Done . . . sort of . )_

**3. Just relax and get ready for the next part of the Hunter's Exam .**

Well i've did two and a half out of the three things he listed . I heard someone sitting down on the other side of the wall . I left it . I was concentrating on where else that i need to explore ...

" Yuuki-chan . "

I looked over the wall and I saw Killua and Gon . I blushed and smiled .

" Konbanwa , Killua-kun . "

Gon perked up .

" Nee, nee Killua . Is this the girl you said that you li. .mmmphhhmmm "

Killua covered Gon's mouth .

_( What did Gon meant by " that you li mmphhm. " ? . . . Lied ? Killua lied to me ? About what ? )_

" Gon , shut up . . Ahah. . Gomen , Yuuki-chan . "

" Ahh . . It's alriight . "

He looked down to at my table .

" Is that a list ? "

I looked down and I saw the list . Opened and readable to anyone who walks by . I quickly shoved it into my pocket .

" Ohh. . umm , no . It isn't . Just me . . uh. .taking notes . "

He just kept staring at me . I felt uncomfortable . So i quickly changed the subject . I looked at Gon .

" So your Gon-kun ? "

He got free from Killua's grasp .

" haah . .haah . . yeah . . i'm. . Gon "

" Nice to meet you , I'm Yuuki . "

They both took their seats .

' Yeah , I know . Killua told me . "

I leaned both my elbows on the top of the wall , so that I was facing them properly .

" So what do you think of the Hunter's exam so far ? "

Gon took a sip from his cup .

" I think it's very fun so far . Right Killua ? "

I turned to see him . He wasn't responding . He just kept looking down . There's something in his hand that I can't really make out .

" Neee , Killua ! "

He shot his head up .

" Your acting weird . "

Killua raised his cup .

" Not really . . "

They both took a sip from their cups .

Gon perked up .

" Nee , Yuuki-chan was asking what did we think of the Exam so far . "

" oh . .it's pretty fun, i guess . "

" Oh and nee , Killua . How many more exams do we have to take ? "

" I don't know . "

I wasn't quite sure either . How long were these Exam's ? Are they short ? Are they incredibly long ? I should ask Oji-san later .

" Are you mad ? " asked Gon .

Killua looked away .

" It's not your fault . "

Things got awkward with the silence between the three of us . I wanted to know what's wrong with him . I want to hear all his problems . But I guess we're not that close . . . . The idea of that made me sad . My thoughts were cut off when a woman in pigtails came by and stopped infront of Killua .

" Is this seat takened ? "

_( Does she like Killua too ? But . . such an age difference . . . )_

He looked up. They eyed each other for a long time . She sat down on the opposite end of the table , which she is facing me .

" My name is Anita . "

She took a sip from her cup .

" Ehhh , so your name is Anita-san ? " said Gon .

For some reason , there's a tension with her . I can't really put it into words . But she seems really pissed . Killua just seems . . .pissed as well .

" My name is Gon , he's Killua , and she's Yuuki-chan "

Killua didn't say anything .

" Konbanwa , Anita-san "

She looked at me , then looked away at the same second.

" Konbanwa . "

She placed her cup on the plate .

" I . . I want to become a Blacklist Hunter . "

Me and Gon turned to her .

" Is there someone you want to capture ? " asked Gon .

" I want revenge "

She said that so easily . . . She turned to Killua .

" I want revenge on my father . My father was a merchant of a spice mine . "

Killua's eyes widened . Anita continued on .

" He organized a fleet , and exported spice stones all over the world from the spice mine . At the height of prosperity , he had enough profit to buy a small country . "

" Woooow . Sugoiiiii neee . " said Gon

" But there was someone who was envious of my father's success . So a rival merchant hired an assassin . There was no need to research who did it . The name of the assassin was . . . The Zaoldyeck Family . They're a family of assassin's whose name carries a bad reputation throughout the world .

Gon widened his eyes .

" Family of assassins . . . that means . . . "

He looked at Killua . Killua smiled . Not the smile that i love . It was definately an evil smile . He turned his head around . Waiit . . Killua's an assassin ? Was that what he lied to me about ? Noo . . This can't be . .


End file.
